It Would Have Been Their Anniversary
by Gila Draper
Summary: After an argument between Crane and Rosethorn Lark recalls the reason for the duo's bitter past. I'm not so good at summary's . It's Crane/Rosthorn.


The Anniversary of the End  
  
Author's Note and Disclaimer: Don't own them, I only own Wren and Brom. So there. This fic is a little weird but I love Crane/Rosethorn romance so I decided to do my takeoff on it.  
  
It Would Have Been Their Anniversary  
  
They were fighting. Again.  
  
Lark, in the process of doing the laundry of her charges, had noticed Rosethorn and Crane bickering as usual as they passed through the doors of his green house.  
  
But at second glance she noticed that they were really angry, not the usual verbal sparring that they enjoyed.  
  
She HAD noticed that Rosethorn had been testy this morning and it seemed that she had found Crane a fitting victim for her wrath. Lark knew that her friend's tempers were unpredictable but there was something niggling at her about this particular mood. There was something she should remember…  
  
"You are absolutely impossible!" Crane snapped irritably at her, folding his arms across the yellow material that covered his chest.  
  
"At least I'm not an insufferable, stuck up prick with no friends to speak of!" She retorted, fairly spitting venom.  
  
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Brown eyes blazing with dark fire he took a step forward, toward her. Genuinely frightened, she took a step back and he snarled, "well at least I don't toy with men's feelings like some coy little prostitue!"  
  
Startled speechless by this outburst Rosthorn watched in shock as he spun on his heel and stalked off to the Air Dormitories like a wet cat.  
  
Oh dear, Lark thought. She suddenly remembered why Rosethorn chose today of all days to be grouchy. Sitting back on her heels in front of a bucket of soapy water she was brought back to several years ago, give or take a few days…  
  
*  
  
Niva fidgeted with the too-big Earth robes that had been given to her for the Dedication ceremony that would come the next day. For today at least they were having a practice run at it so that no one tripped over their robes and humiliated themselves in front of Honored Moonstream. At the moment however, she wasn't doing anything because Dedicate Wren, a hyperactive young man was dealing with some Water novices who had forgotten their instructions.  
  
As she fiddled with the edge of one sleeve she felt someone's arms go around her and she smiled up at Brom, the short, burly, good-looking nephew of the metal mage Frostpine.  
  
"Hey cherished, tomorrow you take your vows eh?" Brom smiled affectionately at her, white teeth flashed against his dark face. He would not be taking vows, he planned to travel the world with the Traders. Both of them knew that after tomorrow they would be unable to marry but with their conflicting life plans both knew a stable relationship would only be in an ideal world.  
  
Rosethorn felt slightly guilty about that, she never intended to get into a serious relationship with Brom and while he was a nice enough young man, he was not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer to put it lightly. Her relationship with Brom was actually a stepping stone to get out of the misery her break up with her, now, ex-fiancé had gotten her into.  
  
Her best friend Maree had given vehement protests to her using of Brom but, sunk to deep in her self-pity to care, she dismissed her friend's arguments.  
  
"Yep, tomorrow I take my vows," she replied, trying to worm her way out of Brom's arms. Unfortunately, this looked to bystanders like an affectionate tussle between lovers and she gritted her teeth in embarrassment at that knowledge.  
  
"Erm, listen Brom, I have to-" she paused, looking for inspiration and her eyes fell on the Girl's Baths, "I have to freshen up."  
  
Unwittingly Brom gave her an earnest nod and let her go, watching her trot across the grass to the building. He never noticed the tall, yellow clad figure that lounged against the wall of the neighboring Boy's Bath giving him the look of death. Thankfully, neither did Niva.  
  
"I do not believe that you have ever, 'freshened up' in your life," a voice drawled from the shadows as Niva approached the baths.  
  
"Shut up Isas," she snapped as he lazily detached himself from the wall and ambled over to her.  
  
"Such language Niva, does it endear your boyfriend?" He arched one black eye brow coolly.  
  
"Just because you're jealous…" she trailed off tauntingly.  
  
He paled, eyes widening at the sting of her words, "how dare you-" he began angrily.  
  
"Oh stuff it, will you? I know why you've been staring daggers at Brom all afternoon."  
  
Isas seemed slightly deflated and his shoulders slumped, "do you blame me?" He asked brokenly, causing her to feel a surge of guilt.  
  
Damn consciences, they made everything so difficult.  
  
"You know our breakup was for the best," she insisted, trying to convince him so that she wouldn't have to feel so bad.  
  
His brown eyes held such a forlorn look that her heard wrenched and he said quietly, "you could have married me."  
  
Trying to make light of the sad turn this conversation was taking she said in a feigned jovial tone, "you make it sound like a grand prize or something."  
  
Isas plunged on as if he hadn't heard her, "we could have settled down in my father's castle in Olart."  
  
Niva was beginning to get desperate to get him off this topic before he went any further and said, "bless Mila, Winding Circle is better than a dank old pile of stones. Besides, we'll be living here for the rest of our lives anyhow."  
  
"We could have had children," Isas' light tenor had fallen into a whisper and Niva felt her heart break and was angry when her eyes began to water.  
  
It wasn't fair! She had loved Isas with all her heart but she had promised her father that she would become a Dedicate, that promise had been the only way she had gotten him to send her to Winding Circle.  
  
Besides, she just didn't fit in with the Lords and Ladies that graced the courts he was in and she knew that the wife of a Count's son would be expected to grace those courts along with him.  
  
She had never graced anything, in fact, the word "grace" wasn't even in her vocabulary.  
  
Yes, it had been better to cut the relationship off before they could get hurt, or at least before SHE could get hurt. At least that's what she told herself, and what she had told him.  
  
Behind her she heard Brom call and without saying anything she turned her back and walked away like she would be doing to him for the rest of her life.  
  
Lark sighed and shook her head as the memories faded away and went back to scrubbing one of Briar's socks, she noted that Rosethorn was still standing, stunned, where Crane had left in a huff.  
  
They wouldn't have been in this place if she hadn't broken his heart and her own, Lark thought. Instead it would have been their anniversary. 


End file.
